Pipe adjusting apparatus



May 9, 1,933.

L. M. PEARCE PIPE ADJUSTING APPARATUS originai Filed March 29, 1929 GGGGG 3 a al 2 3 f Patented May 9, 1933 4UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I LOUIS' M. PEAB-CE, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO TEXAS AIRON 'WORKS VSALES COR- l PORATION, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS PIPE ADJ'USTING'` APPARATUS Original application led Iarch 29, 1929, Serial No. 350,907. Divided and this application tiled Hay 19,

1932. Serial This invention relates to a pipe adjusting appalratus. g

object of the invention is to provide means intended primarily for the purpose of'adjusting the wash pipe which is employed for use in washing a well screen in the process of setting said screen preparatory to bringing in a well. v

Another object of the invention is to provide means adapted to' be used in connection. with a packer and setting tool whereby the wash pipe employed may be adjusted, and if desired, withdrawn partly j or entirely `from the screen after the well has been washed and either before or after the packer has been set.

In the process of setting and washinga well screen, the screen is usually lowered through the casing into the oil bearing stratum and associated with the screen there is a packer and setting tool whereby a iuidtightl joint maybe formed between the screen and the casing and a wash pipe is usually carried by the setting tool whichextends down through the screen and whose lower end extends through, and forms a fiuid tight joint with, a wash ring at the lower end of the screen and through which wash pipe a lwashing iiuid may be forced down through the screeny and which will pass up about the screen and cleanse the same. Under certain conditionsit is desirable to elevate the wash pipe so thatits lower end will clear the wash ring whereby the oil flowing in through the screen, after it has been washed, may pass on upwardly through said wash pipe and from the well. It is the chief -object of this invention to provide means in combination with this packer and settingtool whereby said wash pipe, after it has been used for said washing purposes, may be elevated the required distance above the wash ring.

The invention has been illustrated in combination with a packer and setting tool to be used for the purpose of adjusting the wash pipe used in combination therewith but it is to be understood that the invention is capable of general application and'use.

The subject -matter of this invention has been divided out from m copending application on Setting tool,- erial No. 350,907, filed March 29, 1929.

With the above and other objects in view this invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, opera.

tion Iand arrangement of. parts an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing,`

wherein: v Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional view of the upper end of the apparatus.

Figure 2 shows a vertical sectional view of-the lower end thereof.

Figure 3 shows a cross sectional view taken on the line 3=3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 shows a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section.

Referring now more particularly to the.

drawing wherein like numerals of reference deslgnate simllar parts in each of the figures, the numeral l designates a casing in the well bore and the numeral'2 designates an operating stem or string of pipe which extends up" t the ground surface and through which the packer and the setting tool and washpipe may be handled. A co1- lar 3 .is screwed on to the loweriend of the stem 2 and connects the inside coupling 4 to said` stem. The lower end of this collar may be flared and provided with a packing ring 5 therein, and the lower end of the coupling 4 has a packing ring 6 therearound which is seated in the groove 7 and there are the channels 8 which lead down from the upper end o f said coupling through whichu fluid underl pressure may enter said groove l y' behind the ring 6 and force said packing ring into close Contact with the surrounding setting mpple v9 within the upper end of meer which the lower end of the coupling l is adapted to ht. There is a 'tubular mandrel 1Q whose upper end is' screwed into the coun pling 4f and whose construction will be hereinafter described.

lhe lower end 11 of the settingnipple may be detachable and has an inside downwardly converging seat l2 and lits over the upper end of the tubular packer support 13. 'lhe upper end of said support has the external downwardly pitched annular teeth 1d and there are the downwardly tapering. wedge-shaped slips 15 seated on the seat l2 and whose inner sides have the 'upwardly pitched teeth 16 adapted to engage the teeth 14. 'lhe lower end of the packer support is threaded intothe upper end ol a coupling 17 and a collar 18 connects said coupling to the upper end ci the liner, or inside pipe 19 beneath, which extends to the bottom of the 'bore and which usually includes the conventional screen of any preferred construction and provided for the 'purpose of permitting the indow of oil into the liner but excluding sand and the like.

The lower end of the packer support 13 is screwed into the upper end of the coupling .17 and an expansible sleeve-like packer 20 surrounds said support and Ihas its lower end secured around the upper en'd of the coupling 17 and its u per end secured around the lower end 11 cl3 the setting nipple 9.

The lower end of the mandrel 10 is Jformed with an enlarged head 21 which lits closely within the coupling 17 and has the expansible ring 22, seated in the annular groove 23, therearound. Channels 24 lead up from the lower end of the mandrel into the groove 23 through which luid'under pressure may be admitted within said groove 23 to keep said packing ring 22 expanded out against the walls of the coupling 17. l,

The conventional wash pipe 25 extends down through the coupling 4 and mandrel 10 for the purpose of conveying a washing fluid down to wash the screen in the well known manner, said rings 6 and 22 serving to prevent leakage of said fluid.

The coupling 17 has an internal annular groove 26 whose upper' side 27 converges upwardly and` whose lower side forms an abrupt annular shoulder 28.

Around the mandrel there is a releasable locking sleeve designated generally by the numeral 29. The lower end of this sleeve rests on the shoulder 28 and the upper end of the head 21 as shown in Figure 1 when in locking position, and its said lower end is thickened and its external contour is of a form to t snugly into and conform to the shape of the groove 26. This sleeve may be expansible, and its lower end is held ei;- panded and locked in said groove 26 by sald mandrel. When in the position above described and shown in Figure 1 the stem 2 ,een

and the liner i9 and the screen attached thereto will 4be held in rigid relation, through the mandrel 10 and there will be no danger ol the packer 20 being set or expanded, prematurely, as the apparatus is being let down into the bore, the lower end of the locking sleeve being held locked in the groove 26 by said mandrel.

The lower end of the mandrel yl0 has the oppositely disposed expander jaws 30, 30 immediately above the head 21 of a general arcuate form in cross sectional contour and integral with said mandrel and which normally serves to hold the lock sleeve'in'locking position in' the groove 26 and between these expander jaws are the oppositely disposed recesses as 3l also ol arcuate orm in cross section. 'lhe corresponding ends of the jaws 30 are upwardly extended forming the vertical guides whose upper ends are turned in corresponding directions circumerentially around the mandrel `over the respective depressions 31 forming the arcuate ribs or stops 33, with the arcuate spaces as 3l between or arranged in staggered relation with and which in edect form continuations of the recesses 31. The upper end of Sil the locking sleeve 29 lorrns a continuous ring spaced above the upper end or' the lever 49 and in -approximately vertical alignment with the expander jaws 30, 30 are the guides 38, 38 having the spiralled or beveled lower guide edges 39, 39.

"When the apparatus is let down into the bore with the liner set on the bottom ot the bore and the packer 20 within the lower end of the casing 1 the packer is then located at the desired point to be set. rlhe stem 2 and the mandrel 10 may then be lowered with the sleeve 29 until the inwardly projecting shoulders JLM), 40 at the lower end of the locking sleeve 29 and which are located in the spaces 31, 31 are engaged by the corresponding ribs 33, 33 and the stem and mandrel are then turned to carry the notches 37, 37 above said shoulders 40, 40. Meanwhile the sleeve 29 is held against turning by the key 7 which projects inwardly the vertical keyway 42 in the sleeve 32. The stem and mandrel may then be further lowered. When the external annular shoulder from the coupling 17 intom 43 of the mandrel'passes beneaththe lower j vwill force the setting nipple 9 downwardly and this will operate to set the "packer 20 outA against the outer casing 1 and form a fluid tight joint therewith.' The dogs 15 will enmonaca gage the teeth of the packer support and hold the packer in expanded position.

As the mandrel is further lowered to eX- pand the packer as above stated, the guides 38 will pass through the notches 37 of the sleeve 29 and the guiding edges 39 thereof will ride against the corresponding ends of said notches which will operate to turn the mandrel to carry the ribs 33, in to alignment under the flanges 36 and by an upward movement the (stem, mandrel and locking sleeve may be removed from the bore leaving the packer set, As the mandrel is withdrawn the collar 44 at the upper end of the wash pipe will be engaged by the c'oupling 4, and the wash pipe will also be withdrawn. After the guides 38 have passed through the notches 37 and the mandrel the fluid flowing into the screen can notl should be accidently or inadvertently further turned, then the upper ends of said guide 38 will engage the flange 36 and the sleeve 29 will be thus carried out when the stem and the mandrel are withdrawn out of the bore.

The lower end of the wash pipe is seated in the conventional wash ring of the ordinary set shoe 46 at the bottom end of the screen and when so seated in said ring enter said wash pipe. When the wash pipe is so seated in the wash ring the collar 44 ma be some distance above the coupling 4 andI in case the well comes in as aboveex- 'plained the lower end of the -wash pipe should be lifted oil the wash ring so as 'to permit the fluid to enter and flow upwardly7 through said wash pipe. To make provision for this the coupling 4 is provided with a downwardly converging seat 47 with wedge shaped slips 48 therein. When the stem its lowered as herein above explained to `seat the collar 3 against the settingnipple 9 the' slips 43 will permit the couplin 4 to move downwardly relative to the was pi e and in order to lift the lower end of t e wash pipe out of the wash ring 45 the stem 2 may be moved upwardly and theslips 48 will engage and move the wash pipe 45 upwardly With'said stem and said wash pipe will be held in said upper position by means of the slips 49 which are seated in 'a downwardly converging seat 50in the ring 51.`

This ring 51 is secured at a suitable place in or above the screen beneath the packer. The stem 2 may again be elevated and lowered successively carrying the wash pipe upwardly as the stem is elevated, through the slips 48, and said wash pipe being held in elevated position by the slips 49 as the stem is lowered. The wash pipe may thus be elevated to the desired'position and this may be accomplished either before or after the packer 20 is set. The fluid ymay then flow from the surrounding stratum through the screen and thence up through the wash pipe and the stem 2 and the packing rings 6 and 22 will prevent any leakage of the fluid out into the casing. One formvof the packer and'setting tool has been shown and described for illustration only, but any selected form of packer and setting tool may be employed.

rThe drawings and description merely illustrate and describe a form of the invention by .way of example and it is contemplatedth'at mechanical changes and daptaand slips in said seat in engagement with said tube. y

2. The combination with a liner for use in a well bore, of an operating stem, a wash pipe, a downwardly converging slip seat in the Stem and liner respectively, slips in said seats for supporting the wash pipe therein said slips being formed to permit the downward movement of the stem, relative to the washvpipe and to permit the upward movement ofthe wash pipe relative to the liner but to prevent the independent upward movementvof the stem relative to the wash plpe.

.3. In combination an'upper pipe and a lower pipe located in a well bore, a downwardly converging seat in the upper pipe, a downwardly converging seat in the lower pipe, said upper pipe being longitudinally movable relative to the lower pipe, slips on saidzseats and a wash pipe engaged and sustained by said slips.

4. In combination a liner for use in a well, an operating vstem vertically movable relative to the liner, downwardly converging seats in the stem and liner, respectively, pipe engaging slips in said respective seats, the engaging slips in the stem being arranged to engage and elevate the'wash pipe upon upward movement of the stem and to release the wash pipe upon downward movement ofthe stem, said engaging slips in the liner being arranged to permit the upward movement of the wash pipe relative to the liner but to prevent the downward movement, of said wash pipe relative to said liner.

5. In combination an upper pipe and a lower pipe adapted to be located in a well v' Walid mevemenr, ei? @he mppei pipe emi te ieieese seid heid pipe upon. dowmwep .relieve-1 meni', ef the upper pipe, pipe engaging meme in the iower pipe shaped te engage end heidi 5 ai pipe therein against {iovmweidi movement but to peinriirl the upward movement the heid pipe, and e pipe engaged sind heid by said upper sind iewei pipe engeiging means., im testimony whereof )i have signed my i@ name te this speeicegien.

. LQUIS M., PEAECE das j 

